04: ELEPHANT HIDE.
Someday, I will have the words to describe just how magical the set of Elephant Hide was.
Someday.
But for now, I’ll settle for this…
Filmmaking is a really tough field. The days are long and the hours are grueling, and there’s a lot of stress: to get everything you need to be able to work footage in the edit, equipment is sometimes tricky or unfamiliar, and it’s easy to get lost in how challenging it is. But, it can be done with persistence, patience, and above all, kindness. And when those things are prioritized, and prep work is exhausted ahead of shoot days, you begin the days with enough positivity and belief that any challenge thrown your way can be overcome. Then, the days become lighter, more enjoyable, full of laughter and breaths of fresh air, and we remember why we all actively chose this profession.
Elephant Hide demonstrated that in bounds. In four days of filming my thesis production at DePaul University, I worked with an entirely student crew, the most wonderful professional actors, and we worked seamlessly and as a cohesive unit. We finished early every day, were able to add coverage for unsuspected moments, and improvised. And it provided us with the wonderful freedom in the edit to play and let this story come to life for all that is is and all that it deserves to be.
Elephant Hide changed my perspective on filmmaking. That doing things “differently” and without convention can be done, and can be successful, and it’s a feeling I’ll strive to create on every project from here on out.
“Be the ashes and not the dust.”
